Languages › Japanese › Keyboard

How to type in Japanese

You don't need a Japanese keyboard. You type the sounds in Latin letters, and the computer turns them into hiragana and offers the kanji. Here's how to turn it on.

Typing a word yourself is part of learning it: picking the right kanji from the list is how you start to recognize them. AnimeLang doesn't transliterate, so this is the first ten minutes of the course.

On a Mac

Open System Settings › Keyboard, then Text Input › Edit.
Click +, search for Japanese and add Japanese – Romaji.
Type konnichiha and it becomes こんにちは. With Live Conversion on, kanji appear as you go; press Space for other choices and Return to keep what you have. Escape goes back to hiragana.
Control-Shift-J switches to Japanese and Control-Shift-' back to English. Control-Space works too.

On Windows 11

Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
Next to Preferred languages, choose Add a language, pick Japanese, then Next and Install. Its keyboard is Microsoft IME.
Click the A in the taskbar so it turns into あ, then type in romaji. Space converts, a second Space opens the list, a number picks one, and Enter keeps it.
Alt + ` (the key left of 1) switches between Japanese and English, and Windows key + Space switches keyboards.

On an iPhone or iPad

Go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard, choose Japanese, then Romaji.
To switch, touch and hold the 🌐 key and pick the keyboard.

On Android

With the keyboard open, tap Settings › Languages › Add keyboard in Gboard, pick Japanese, choose the QWERTY layout and tap Done.
To switch, touch and hold the space bar.

The small sounds

ん is nn.
A small っ comes from doubling the next consonant: kitte gives きって. On its own it's xtu or ltu.
Any small kana takes an x or l in front: xa gives ぁ, xya gives ゃ.

From Apple's, Microsoft's and Google's own help: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Gboard, and Apple's romaji table.